ClausNet Gazette

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Welcome to the June edition!

By Michael Rielly

Greetings everyone! It's hard to believe we are already in June! It was only a few short weeks ago that we launched the first edition of the ClausNet Gazette. Feedback from the initial issue was phenomenal and the response was overwhelmingly positive! I had no idea how well received the mailing would be. Hopefully I will be able to continue to keep it fresh and entertaining each month.

ClausNet continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Since the last edition of the ClausNet Gazette we have had 12 new members join ClausNet! We also hit a major milestone last month -- 70,000 total posts!

As our community continues to grow so will the features and resources of ClausNet. With the introduction of the ClausNet Gazette, each month we will update you on the latest news and events, ClausNet happenings, and feature fellow ClausNET members.

I am also happy to announce that ClausNet is now the new home of the Santa Claus Hall of Fame. The Santa Claus Hall of Fame is the celebration and study of famous Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus of the past. This is an ongoing project to preserve the historical documentation of the many men and women who have greatly contributed to the Legend of Santa Claus.

This month we also kicked off our ClausNet Wallpaper Design Contest where members can show off their artistic talent. Be sure to submit your entries by Friday, June 19.

And later this year, we will be launching a new version of ClausNet.com. The redesigned site will feature a newly designed user interface and several enhanced capabilities. I am keeping details quiet for now, but I can tell you that this will be like nothing you have experienced before.

I hope you enjoy this month's edition and as always I encourage you to participate. If you have a story you would like to share with your fellow members or a product that you would like to feature, please feel free to contact us!

In The News

Toys ‘R’ Us Acquires FAO Schwarz, Fifth Avenue Store

May 28 (Bloomberg) -- Toys “R” Us Inc., the largest U.S. toy-store chain, acquired FAO Schwarz to take over the retailer’s flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York and increase its market share. Toys “R” Us plans to continue operating FAO Schwarz’s two retail stores in New York and Las Vegas under the same name, along with the company’s Web site and catalog businesses, Toys “R” Us said late yesterday in a statement.

The retailer, based in Wayne, New Jersey, didn't’t disclose a purchase price.

The deal combines two closely held retailers that have faced increased competition from the Internet and discount chains during the recession. U.S. retail sales of toys generated $21.6 billion in 2008, a 3 percent drop from 2007, according to researcher NPD Group Inc.

Mass merchant, discount and online retailers saw the most modest declines, NPD said, as consumers looked for ways to buy non-necessities at the lowest cost.

FAO Schwarz’s Fifth Avenue store is known for the piano featured in the Tom Hanks movie “Big” and its oversized stuffed animals.

The company was founded in 1862 by Frederick August Otto Schwarz and his three brothers.Read More »

Christmas village on auction block

For sale: 31 boys, 25 girls, 15 bears, two clerks, one Dalmatian, three cats, two puppies, four musicians and one Santa.

After dazzling generations of kids whose parents took them on Christmas pilgrimages to the “Historic Enchanted Village,” the entire mechanical cast of Boston’s beloved attraction and all its Victorian-era props will be sold at a live auction June 18 to a single bidder.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday that the city is looking to find a good home for all the little village people and props - from shelves of authentic books, some from the 1890s, to jars of popping corn - and hopes that a Christmas-themed amusement park will buy the entire village and restore it to its former glory.

“I remember going as a boy with my parents,” Menino recalled. “But everything has its time and usefulness.”

The village was the brainchild of Jordan Marsh executive David Callahan, who in the 1930s commissioned Bavarian toy makers to craft what was once more than 300 electromechanical animated figures.

Come Christmastime beginning in the 1940s, Jordan Marsh would set up the little New England town at its Downtown Crossing department store.Read More »

Those Who Follow in Our Steps

Posted in Mrs. Claus Blog by Nora

Both of our mothers died within five months of each other in 2006. My husband pointed out that I was now matriarch of the family. Which made me feel old and gave me a new sense of those who watch me or look up to me. It doesn't matter if you are young or old there are others watching you and how you behave.. things we do can make a difference.

As those who represent the Christmas spirit we need to carry it over to everyday living and not just save it for when we are "Representing" it. Many times it's a matter of we are not feeling well. Try the tips below to change not only your disposition but how others view you and remember you.

Our society as a whole focuses on the negatives of life and poor me, I'm a victim, etc. Dare to break free and purpose to think of the good things in life, even if it the simple basics of life like I have a roof over my head, clothes to wear and food on the table. Think of Christmas when you are down and don't go into the pity party for self. No matter how bad we have it there are always others who have it worse.Read More »

Christmas in the Holler

A short story by Storytelling Santa

Christmas Eve Service was always wonderful at the Booger Holler Holiness Church. Sister Hazel Budder, the wife of Pastor Budder was in charge of the choir and they had practiced since summer on the songs they sang on Christmas Eve. The Church was decorated just right and aromatic cedar trees were trimmed and lighted to get everyone in the mood.

Brother Budder reminded folks the reason for the season in a short message of 'bout five minutes at the end of the singin'. Ms. Hazel invited Uncle Billy Gilbert to come over to her house for Christmas Dinner. Since Aunt Del died Ms. Hazel had done set her hopes on Uncle Billy.

He thanked her, but said he was goin' to stay home. Other folks invited him without the hidden desires Ms. Hazel had and he would smile and turn them down too. Told folks Old Dog needed company tomorrow. 'Course, they invited Old Dog then, but Uncle Billy Gilbert just would smile and say no

Christmas Morning in Beloved was glorious. There was just enough snow to make a White Christmas like a greeting card in the little town. Annie Pankey's store, Pankey's Hankies, had the window lighted an' her Santa collection called to hearts young and old to stop an' look. The Baptist Church had it's bells playin' Christmas Carols quietly all morning. Folks that lived in town got out and swept the sidewalks, just as an excuse to visit with each other. The wonderful smells of Christmas dinners cooking filled the cold mountain air.Read More »